Milwaukee was one of the first cities to have school choice. This is a program where the state takes money from a public school and gives it to a private school. When the program started a few kids were allowed to leave MPS and go to a (usually) religious school.
I did not mind this because some smart and good kids were stuck in class with all the kids who didn't care about school or themselves. It was a chance to get out of the system.
But then tons of scam artist came out of the wood-work, and opened up "charter schools." These are basically buildings with sometimes no certified teachers, no discipline, really old or no book. Basically, a chance for someone to get about $5800 bucks from the state per student. I posted a few stories about what happens at these schools. In one case, the principal told teachers to stop calling parents and disciplining kids, because that was her f-ing money.
So a good idea has gone bad. Now kids are just leaving the public school, taking away money from the public school, to go to an even worse school. A school where the teachers don't always get paid. A school that isn't teaching but for some parents, is a way for their kid to graduate.
So, what do you think about this program?
Should it exist at all?
Should it exist with more regulation?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
What do you think of school choice?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
Scorpion says---
School choice. There has always
been a choice in Milwaukee,even fifty years ago when I was a wide-
eyed grade school student starting
out in MPS.I could attend any public school in Milwaukee, as long
as I got to school on my own each day-no school bus to pick me up-no
taxi cab rides no free city bus passes or car checks-after my parents fed me breakfast my parents
made sure I got to school each day.
Of course,I had to do adequate work
in my school of choice,or I could find another MPS location.My family
could also send me to any private/
parochial school I wanted to attend-as long as the tuition-books
fees-and all school requirements were paid for- by my parents.What a
novel concept-paying for what you want-by yourself-no vouchers-no one
else giving you the money-you pay the bill yourself.My family made very little money at work so the second and third jobs were taken to have enough money to pay the bills.Back to the topic-enough money was worked for to go to the MPS school of choice.So arrives a new year-a year that again should allow any child/parent to choose any school program desired.Any school that they will work hard enough-with as many work hours as needed to pay for and attend.MPS
gives you a quality school paid by taxpayers dollars if you "choose."
that was a better time...a time when people worked for what they had...when the believed they HAD to work for what they have...even I don't believe it as much as I'm sure you do...I'm glad my parents showed me that I need to earn my keep...but society is full of "give me, give me" and "I deserve that"...it even rubs of on me...
Post a Comment